Confederate monument removed in Ellicott City

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. - Officials say the Confederate memorial located outside the Howard County Circuit Courthouse in Ellicott City was removed on Monday night.

According to a statement from Howard County Executive Allen H. Kittleman, the request to move the monument was made on August 16th and then there was a five day public notice period. The executive says once he received approval, he took the proper steps to take the statue down.

The decision comes shortly after the violence that took place at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. County Executive Kittleman says that the tragedy in Charlottesville contributed to his decision to remove the memorial from public property.

The statement also says that the Confederate statue will be donated to a local museum. The County Executive says Preservation Howard County, a group that works to preserve the history of Howard County, supports the decision to remove the memorial. The statement also says that County Council Chair Jon Weinstein encouraged the Howard County Historical Society to add the memorial to its Civil War collection.

According to Maryland Historical Trust Records, the memorial was dedicated on September 23, 1948.